By Margie McLoone

ORDER was restored for the show hunter purists at Dublin last Saturday when Daphne Tierney’s four-year-old heavyweight, Bloomfield Excelsior, was crowned TopSpec supreme champion hunter under a delighted Jane Bradbury.

Things hadn’t always gone to plan with the grey gelding at shows this season but he never put a foot wrong when and where it mattered most and hopefully he can go on ever upwards to live up to his lofty name. He will have every chance of so doing having been purchased by Jayne Ross who has been looking for a replacement for the mighty Silverstream.

Bloomfield Excelsior was spotted last October at Goresbridge by David Tatlow although on pedigree he didn’t appear a likely heavyweight hunter. The grey is by the Swedish Warmblood Jack Of Diamonds out of the Cruising mare Tamerarra. Her previous produce include top British show jumpers Santa Cruise (by Randi) and the Armitage gelding Judge N Jury who was reserve champion four-year-old here for the Tierney/Bradbury team in 2010.

That pair were bred by Mary McCann but the 2014 Dublin champion was bred in Co Monaghan by Paul Flanagan who bought him in utero. Tamerarra had colts in 2012 and this year by Road To Happiness and Harlequin du Carel respectively.

To be fair to his rivals, Bloomfield Excelsior had an easy run through to the supreme championship. There was only one class of heavyweights for David Machin and Jane Hunter to judge on Friday although, as there were 14 entries, eight of whom were four or five-year-olds, the class could have been split.

Then, instead of the winner and second-placed Kathmandu contesting the heavyweight title in the Main Arena the following morning, judging for this took place immediately after the class. The reserve, who left Ireland on Monday for America, was ridden by Brian Murphy for Gowran producer Pat Loughlin.

The mares’ championship was the first to take place on Saturday and here the title went to the middleweight, last year’s youngstock champion Tattygare Good To Go who was ridden by Rosemary Connors. The Porsch bay is owned by her breeders, the Hurst Show Team, and is out of their prolific Euphemism mare Tattygare Golden Delight.

Reserve was the Balmoral champion, the McIlwaines’ homebred Crosstown Dancer mare Dancing Queen who was ridden as usual by Lesley Webb. Most disappointingly for all concerned, the five-year-old was extremely tired by the time the lightweight judging came around and never produced her customary scintillating gallop.

Also through to the mares’ championship was David Sloan’s homebred Drumlane Susie, an eight-year-old by Cavaliere out of the Countach mare Artic Sun. Winner of the older lightweight class, she was ridden as usual by Judith Hamilton, head of facilities services at the University of Ulster. Judith used to be assisted by her late husband Andy but following his sad death during the year, their son Joe stepped into the role.

Eight horses contested the middleweight championship and while Tattygare Good To Go put up a strong performance, the favourite with those in the stands, and as it turned out with the judges as well, was the four-year-old geldings’ class winner, Dick McElligott’s Huntsman.

By the hugely popular Oldenburg stallion OBOS Quality 004, the bay was produced by Kieran Ryan and ridden by P.J. Casey who actually sold the champion to McElligott earlier this year. “Sometime in the spring,” suggested Casey but “on March 6th exactly,” countered the Straffan exhibitor.

Second on his only previous outing at Clonmel, Huntsman has the pre-fix Annaghmore and Casey bought him from Co Offaly’s Sinead Healion whose sister Aoife bred the champion out of Annaghmore Lady Valier. That 1997 mare is by the Cavalier Royal stallion Black Walter. In 2012 she had a filly by the thoroughbred Coroner and this year a filly by Annaghmore Donatello.

Huntsman has a magnificent, ground-devouring stride and Casey says he can see the horse’s toe when he gallops. Unfortunately, when it came to the supreme he too was tired and hung away from the stands which probably swayed the judges in the heavyweight’s favour. Huntsman has been sold, McElligott having started negotiations with Scotland’s Kirsty Douglas before Dublin.

Rosemary Connors won yet another Dublin championship when landing the lightweight title with Patrick Cotter’s four-year-old class winner, Rehy I’m A Star. The bay Harlequin du Carel gelding was bred by James Fogarty out of the Puissance mare Puissance Pass.

Reserve was the second from that class, John Henry’s Togher Lad gelding The Prof. Also produced by Kieran Ryan at his Cabragh Lodge yard, this grey was ridden by Claire Gilna and he grew in stature in the Main Arena where his gallop improved each time.

When Bloomfield Excelsior was beckoned forward as four-year-old champion ahead of Huntsman it seemed likely that would be the outcome of the supreme as well and such was the case.